muellee



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

M. G. MUELLER.

eLoVBR HARVESTER.

Patented June 14, 1887.

(722/2159)? /z Za?,

N. PETERS, Pham-Limogmpnnr. washingmn. 0.0.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. G. MUELLER.

GLOVBR HARVESTER.

No. 364,949. Patented Jung 14, 1887.

A Ulli llt MARTIN G. MUELLER, OF FROIINA, MISSOURI.

CLOVER-HARVESTR.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. 364,949, dated June 14, 1887.

Application filed `November 17, 1886. Serial No.2l9,197. (No model.)

To @ZZ w/"wm t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN G. MUELLER, of Frohna, in the county of Perry and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clover-Headers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference bcinghad to the accompanying drawings, forniingpart of this specification, and in'which- Figure l is a side elevation of the machine, one of the wheels and parts of thethills being omitted. Fig. 2v is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the reel.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Arepiesents the thill-frame of my machine, which is preferably made of wood, butI do not so confine myself, as it is evident that the transverse bars especially may suitably be constructed of metal.

A are portions of the thills, AL the seat, and A3 the bar that supports the seat.

B represents the axle, B the axle journalboxes, and@thedraft-wl1eelslIhc axlcjournal-boxes are formed on and the thill-fraine secured to the axle-frame castings D. Each axle'franie casting is also (in addition tothe axle-journal box) provided with a journalbearing box, D', in which a transverse shaft, D2, isjournaled. Supported on the shaft are upright posts or bars E, formed with elongated slots E2, within which the transverse bearingshaft (on which the posts or bars are fulcrumed, vertically adjusted, and tilted) passes. The bottoms of the upright bars E are connected together by a linger-beam, F, to which a serrated finger-plate, G, is secured. The said finger-plate may be provided with serrations or fingers G', integral with the plate, or said fingers may be made in sections and riveted to the plate.

At a suitable distance abovethe lngenbeain brackets H are secured to the upright bars, and said brackets are provided with bearings in which the shaftI of the reel J isjonrnaled. The disks of said reel .I are composed of the hubs J which are secured to the rotary shaft I, the radial spokes or crossbars J2, and the rims or tires J3 around the periphery of the disks. In the extremities of a pair of the cross-bars of this rcel is secured a forwarding blade, K. In the extremities of two pairs ofthe cross-pieces--one on each side of the bladeare two serrated stripper-blades, L, and on the ends of the remaining pair of cross-bars, in a circumferential position, is a sharp knifeblade, M. The forwarding and stripper blades I have shown inserted in the middle of the ends of their cross-bars; but, if preferred, they can be recessed into and bolted to the front sidesrof the bars, but always with the same radial position from the hub that the bars rctain. The cutter-blade, on the contrary, lies flat on and is secured to the ends of the cross bars, so that its front edge, which is sharpened,

may cffcctually sever all the heads that the serrated stri pper-bl ados have failed to detach. The blades are secured to the reel in a spiral position, so that both the strippers and cuttingblade have a slight longitudinal as well as rotary cutting tendency in the process of stripping. The journals of the reel-shaft I extend beyond the disks of the reel at l I2, and have their journal-bearings in the brackets II. At I2 the shaft extends sufficiently to key thereon, or otherwise secure a small sp rocket-wheel, P, with the sprockets of which the driving-chain engages that operate the rotary reel. A bail or U-Shaped bar, N, is secured by its ends to the outside posts and extends back from the rear of the fra1ne-castings D, (in which the transverse bearing-shaft Dl and the axle are journaled,) and suspended from said bail is a receptacle, O, tacked to the sides of the posts and to the finger-beam, and into which the clover-heads are driven by the reel. This receptacle carries the heads until a sufficient quantity has been collected, when the machine may be driven off with its load to the huller or any desired place for unloading; or it may be unloaded iutothe bed of au attendant wagon.

The means of operating the reel are as follows: A large sprocket-wheel, l, is rigidlysecured to the rotary axle-shaft that carries the wheels, and revolves with the shaft as the wheels travel. Adrive-chain, Q, that engages with said sprocket-wheel, passes varound an idler, P', whose shaft I2 works in journalbearing in a bar or bracket, II, secured to the adjacent vertical bar E. The said chain passes IOO over and engages with a small sprocket-wheel, P3, Whose shaft P, to which it is rigidly secured, also carries, in rigid connection, a large sprocket-wheel, P5. The last-named shaft has its j ournal-bearing in a bracket, It, that is attached to the adjacent vertical bar E. A second drive-chain, Q, connects the large spreek et-Wheel P5 with the small one P, which is rigidly secured to and drives the shaft of the reel aforesaid. By this sprocket-Wheel gearing I have attained twenty-four revolutions of the reel to one of the driving-wheel; but I do :not conne myself to that speed, as the speed Vmay be still further increased or decreased without any departure from the essential features of my invention. It may be of advantage to increase the speed when the cloveris tough, from moisture or any other cause, and vice versa, when it is dry and brittle. In such cases by changing the relative sizes of the sprocket-wheels and thelength of their drivechains the speed is regulated to the condition of the material to be operated on. A lever, S, has rigidly secured to it a quadrant, T, that also rigidly connects With and gives rocking adjustment to the transverse bearing-shaft D2. A cord, T', secured to the upper peripherie corner of the quadrant, passes around its periphery, and is secured below through an eyelet-bracket, E3, that is attached to the middle vertical bar, E, of which the lever E is an extension. Similar quadrants, connecting in the same manner with the transverse shaft, "and by draft-cords and bracket attachments With the end verticall bars or posts of the frame, have of necessity through the shaft simultaneous action with the middlequadrant, when that is operated by the lever S. It is evident that by raising or lowering the leverS the vertical adjustment of the reel-frame is thus accomplished. The said lever is then held to its adjustmentA by a spring-latch, S, that connects by a link-rod, S2, With a thumb-lever, S. The latch engages in a quadrant-rack, U, that is secured to the thill-frame/ and central framecasting, D, of the machine.

The device for' the vertical adjustment of the tilting frame adapts the machine for operation in heavy or light crops, whether the growth is tall or short and the plant standing or lodged.l The lever E', being an extension of the middle upright post of 'the tilting frame, (when it is operated,) effects the tilt of the frame, finger-beam, and reel to the adjustment required by the condition of the crop to be gathered. A spring-latch, E, on the lever E',

connects bya rod-link, Ewith a thumb-lever, Ef. Thelatch engages in the quadrant-raclc V, also secured to the thill-frame and to the central frame-casting, D, and thus holds the lever E to any required adjustment. I

The driver, while on his seat and without stopping the machine, has full control of it by the operation of the two levers to elevate, depress, or tilt the reel-frame as the condition of thecrop changes in different parts of the field.

By-the use of my reel I avoid gathering superfluous material, which is a fruitful cause of imperfect hulling and cleaning of the seed. The machine also leaves the stalk on the ground to enrich the future plant. clover-header thus removes in a great measure the objections raised by farmers against the removal from the land of the second crop of clover-straw, which they prefer to remain for fertilizing the soil.

I claim as my inventionm 1. The combination of the posts E, having vertical slots E2, a lever-extension, E', to one of the posts, the finger-beam F, secured to the posts, the finger-plate G, the axle, the framecastings D, mounted on the axle having journal-boxes D', the shaft D2, mounted in the j ournal-boxes and extending through the slots in the posts, the reel, means by which the posts are supported on the shaft, and means for retaining the lever-extension to its adjusted position, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the axle, thill-frame, frame-castings D, having axle-boxes and shaftboxes,thev quadrantrack U, shaft D2, having a lever and quadrant, posts having vertical slots through which the shaft passes, provided with a bracket, cord or chain connecting the bracket with the upper cornerof the quadrant,

This

and a finger-beam secured to the post, sub

stantially as described.

3. The combination of the posts E,having vertical slots E2, finger-beam F, secured to thev posts, plate G, the axle, the frame-castings D, mounted on the axle having journal-boxes D, shaft D2, mounted in the j ournal-boxes and extending through the slots inthe posts, and havin'g the lifting-lever, the reel, means by which the posts are supported on the shaft, means for retaining the lever to its adjustment, and the bail N, having a receptacle, O, substantially as described. y

4. The combination of the posts E, having vertical slots E2, a lever-extension, E,.to one of the posts for tilting, the iinger-beam F, secured to the posts, finger-plate G, the axle, the frame-castings D, mounted on the axlehaving journal-boxes D', the shaft D2, mounted in the j ournal-boxes and extending through the slots in the posts, the reel, means by which the posts are supported on the shaft, means for retaining the tilting lever-extension to its adjusted position, and a bail, N, having a receptacle, O, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the axle B, wheels C, frame-castings D, having axle-boxes B and shaft-boxes D, quadrant-racks U V, shaft D2, posts E, having vertical slots Ethrough which the shaft passes, lifting-lever S, connected with the shaft, having a spring-latch, the lever-extension on one of the posts for tilting, having a spring-latch, the finger-beam secured to the posts, plate G, a reel, and means for supportingy the posts on the shaft, substantially as described. y

6. The combination of the axle B, wheels C, sprocketwheels I? P' Pf P5 P, drive-chains Q Q', framecastiugs D, shaft D, posts E, rotary ICO IIO

IIS

ro F, nger-plate G, and rotary reel having journal-bearings on the posts, substantially as described.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto subscribed iny name this 16th day of October, 1856.

MARTIN G. MUELLER.

In presence of BENJN. A. KNIGHT, SAML. KNIGHT. 

